What She Had To Do
by Beelzenef
Summary: Blaise wants Hermione, this frustrates her. He asks her to meet him by the lake. What happens there?
1. Default Chapter

Hermione walked into her room and collapsed onto her bed. As soon as she hit the mattress, she grabbed a pillow and proceeded to scream into it. She was incredibly frustrated and perhaps a tiny bit turned on. All day she and Blaise Zabini had been in the library, working on their potions assignment and all day, the incorrigible flirt would not leave her alone. Every chance he got, he was flirting, or touching, or writing little notes. She didn't know how to deal with this.

Never before had a boy affected her so much. Usually she was calm, in control. Not anymore though. Ever since she'd met Blaise and had to work with him, he'd found his way into her thoughts. Not a single day passed where Hermione didn't think about Blaise. Not a single day passed where she didn't want him.

They'd been formally introduced earlier that year, being stuck as Potions partners for the year because he had been late arriving the first class and had been forced to take the only seat remaining, the one next to Hermione. Snape had told the class that they were sitting with their partner for that year soon after. She'd been surprised to hear no groan of annoyance from him, and even more surprised when she'd looked at him and he was wearing a sexy grin, and winked at her.

Throughout the year so far, she'd been trying to keep her cool. She'd been trying to stay above the water and not let him sink her. It was difficult. Blaise was very attractive. He had dark olive skin, a compliment to his Italian background and gorgeous blue eyes. His hair was kept long, and curled slightly as it touched his shoulders. She loved it when he pulled it back. He wasn't overly tall, but his slender form gave him the allusion of more height. His features looked like they should be molded then cast in gold: high aristocratic cheekbones, finely arched eyebrows and soft, pouty lips. How could a girl been obliviuous to that?

At first he'd been shy and quiet, but after they agreed on a tentative friendship, he'd become more open. The man was incredibly intelligent and could arouse her mind just as easily as her body. He hadn't started that until a few weeks ago though.

Until a few weeks ago, their relationship had been strictly friendship based, but then he'd invited her to Hogsmeade with him, and ever since had been flirting heavily and hinting that he wanted it to happen more. She didn't know how to handle that. Boys were obscure, and she did not know how to deal with Zabini. He was making it painfully obvious that he wanted her, and she didn't know why.

What man wouldwant her? She was bushy haired, big toothed (even after the shrinking of them) and loud. She didn't hesitate to let her opinion be known and she didn't care who heard it. Boys didn't like girls like her. They like quiet, prissy little things that hung on their every word and praised them all the time. That wasn't her at all. She didn't think she could ever be like that.

And this left Hermione in a compromising position. She wanted Blaise, she'd already accepted that fact a long time ago. She also accepted the fact that he would never want her back. But now, now he had set her world in a whirlwind of confusion. Why did he want her? She'd accepted long ago that if a man ever did like her, it would be someone like Neville, or Ron. She shuddered thinking about it.

This was Blaise though, _Blaise_. He was attractive. He was smart. Women wanted him. Blaise though, wanted nothing to do with them, choosing to keep to himself and the few friends he liked the company. Those friends included her.

Hermione stood and began pacing around the room. This was all too confusing to her. She was not supposed to like men, she was supposed to focus on studies, she was supposed to be immune to attractive boys. But she wasn't. This thing with Blaise was certainly proving that. She sighed and looked out the window. An owl in flight came into view and she smiled. Seeing the owl post made her feel warm inside. It was such a better system than muggle post. She watched the tawny owl flutter about and then suddenly she realized that the owl was heading toward her.

The thing slowed a bit and landed on her windowsill. It dropped the letter into her hand and took off again, toward the other side of the castle. She looked at the letter questioningly, flipping it over. On the front of the envelope was her name. It was scrawled delicately in a black ink. She knew who the writing belonged to. How could she not when he'd written her little notes all that afternoon in the library.

Hermione debated opening it. She was sure it would say something flattering about her. He'd been doing that all day. Curiosity got the best of her though, and she gently opened the envelope. What was written made her eyes widen in shock.

_To the dearest lady I know,_

_I know this may shock you Hermione, but I want to be with you. You're a wonderfully beautiful and smart woman. Your mind easily arouses me just as much as your body does. You have this way of making me want to just sit on a sofa and study you all day, just to see what you'll do next. You intrigue me, miss Granger, and I want to have you around more. I'm offering myself to you, Hermione, because I want you to have me. I'm already addicted to you and I pray that you could find yourself with me someday. _

_I'd like you to meet me by the lake tonight, and we could talk about this. If you don't want to be with me, that's ok. I just want to be able to speak to you about it. I want to be able to know if there will ever be a possibility of us. If there isn't, I promise I won't let my feelings affect our friendship._

_Yours if you want me,_

_Blaise_

Hermione put the letter down and exhaled. She should have realized this was coming. Blaise didn't flirt with anyone except her. At first she thought it was because he was shy and they were friends but she eventually began to get the picture. She also began to realize that she really liked Blaise, and she knew she could easily begin to love him. When he came over, she got this warm feeling in her body and butterflies fluttered around in her stomach. She didn't know what it was about him, but she did want him. She wanted him so much it scared her. She took another look at the letter and read it through again. She looked at the clock on her mantle piece and then peered out the window again to the lake. She caught sight of a solitary figure headed down toward the water. She looked back at the letter once more, and then made a decision. She knew what she had to do.


	2. Chapter two

Blaise paced around his room after he sent the owl off. He regretted writing the letter now. He truly did. He had no idea whether or not Hermione would appreciate it. He's bled his heart out to her and now he was having second thoughts. Hermione… Hermione was something he couldn't predict. He couldn't tell whether she was standoffish because she liked him in a romantic way, or whether it was because she was trying to hide the fact that she wanted him as well.

He was sure that he wanted her. He'd been sure since the first time he'd seen her, fourth year, at the Yule Ball. It had taken him a while however, to realize that he wanted her for more than just a shag. He wanted her for her intelligence, for her wit, for her sarcasm and even for her controlling bossiness.

Hermione fascinated him as no other witch or wizard could. He needed her, he wanted her, he dreamed of waking in the morning wrapped tightly in her loving arms. He wished the dream would become reality, he wished the dream would last forever but he was afraid that it was empty. A cheque that would return as NSF.

He threw himself onto his bed and sighed loudly. It was stupid to think that Hermione Granger, gryffindor extraordinaire, would even think of being with him. He was a Slytherin. He was the enemy. How could even dream of something as pure as her coming to rest with him in something less than perfect? It was impossible.

Blaise wished that he could take the letter back, that he could take it and burn it. That was impossible though, and he knew it. It was sent, she probably already had it. She was probably reading it at this very moment.

For a brief moment Blaise considered standing her up, then passing the note off as a fake that Malfoy wrote to tease her. He dismissed that as soon as he thought it though. It would be mean, and he couldn't do that to his Hermione. Especially not if she actually did choose to meet him. He sat up and smoothed out his hair a little, then glanced outside. The sun was setting and he needed to get out there.

He stood and smoothed out his clothes. He debated changing but decided against it. Hermione had already seen him today, and she would probably think he was stupid if he changed his clothing just for her. So he grabbed his fedora off his desk, threw on an over jacket and walked out of the dungeon.

Blaise made his way quietly through the castle and out the front doors. He walked over the dewy grass feeling more and more nervous. He tried to stop the shaking of his hands by pushing them into his pockets. It didn't work as well as he thought it would, but there wasn't anything to do about it. He slowly made his way over to the rock that looked over the lake and sat down.

He didn't wait long before he heard the approaching of footsteps. A smile spread over his face and he turned to see Hermione standing only feet away from him. She looked beautiful with the moonlight highlighting her brown hair. She smiled tentatively as he motioned her to sit next to him.

"I see you received my letter." He said, quietly, not quite looking at her. Hermione nodded. She couldn't meet his eyes either. They remained silent for a long time, sitting beside each other, neither knowing what to say. Blaise tentatively rested a hand on Hermione's knee. She didn't pull away. "What did you think?"

Finally, she looked at him. Her eyes wide and a little fearful. "I don't know Blaise. I really don't. It's NEWT year and I can't afford a distraction." She said.

He looked at her and his face dropped. "Hermione, please…" he said, trying to reach out to her. He grasped her hand in his.

"No Blaise." She said. Despite her decision earlier, she could not be with him. At least not right now. She hated herself for it, but there could be no other way. She took her hand away from his and stood. "I can't be in a relationship right now. Not with the impending war and all the schoolwork we have. I can't let you distract me." She said.

Blaise didn't know what to say. He knew he had to say something. He couldn't let her get away from him. "Hermione…" he reached out again, but she was too far away to reach. "Please don't do this…"

"Blaise, I have to. I can't be with you. I just can't, ok?" she said. If he'd been looking closely, he would have seen the dampness of her eyes before she turned around and walked away.

Instead of running after her, he slumped down onto his rock defeatedly until it got too cold for him to remain outside. She had broken him.


	3. Chapter Three

It had been weeks since Hermione had last talked to Blaise, weeks of never ending homework and assignments. She'd gone weeks without hearing his voice teasing her, weeks without his touch. She knew that he'd been lying when he said that if she chose not to have him, their friendship wouldn't be affected. She knew she'd been lying when she told him she didn't want him. She only saw him in Potions now. He'd say as little as possible to her and it was beginning to make her go mad.

She hadn't realized it as much before, but she knew now that Blaise had become one of her best friends. He was someone that she could talk to, someone that could relate to her. He understood her better than anyone else. She didn't know how to repair the rift that she'd ripped in their relationship. Hermione wanted to talk to him, she truly did, but she didn't know how.

She was sitting in her special corner in the library, reading up on special potions that would make you see the goodness of a person through their beauty when she sensed someone sit across from her at her table. She glanced up, expecting Harry or Ron but was surprised to meet the eyes of a blond Slytherin. "Sod off Malfoy, I'm not in the mood for your insults." She said and returned to her book.

Draco grabbed the book and shut it, loosing Hermione's page. "I don't care if you're in the mood for me or not Granger. I have something to say to you." His eyes were hard and defensive. She'd never seen him that way before. "You hurt him, and now you have to make it better."

"I hurt who?" Hermione demanded. She truly was not in the mood for Malfoy that day.

"Blaise!" he exclaimed, standing up. "You broke his heart! You sent him down to the pits pf hell just because you're too selfish to realize that he needs you!" Draco had his hands up in the air, emphasizing his point. "He loves you Granger, and although I can't begin to imagine why, he wants to be with you." He dropped his hands and looked her in the eyes. "I've seen the looks you give him as well. You love him too."

Hermione's eyes went wide. Was she truly that obvious? "I don't know what you're talking about, Malfoy." She lied. She couldn't give herself away.

"No." Draco said simply, sitting back down and leaning across the table. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. You need to talk to him. I can't help him. I've been trying." Draco began to sound a little desperate. "He's my friend."

Draco's concern broke Hermione's wall and she looked down. "I don't know how. I don't know what to do about this." She said.

Draco sighed dramatically, as if it were completely obvious. "Go to him and tell him you love him. It's that simple." He said. He got up and left, leaving Hermione to her own thoughts.

Blaise sat in the room for requirement studying the parchment in his hands. It was from Hermione, asking him to meet her there. He didn't know why he'd agreed. She'd already ripped his heart out and fed it to Potter and Weasly. He didn't want to be here, but for some odd reason her was. He put the letter down and looked around the room. It looked like his room in the dungeon, dark and uninviting. The walls were made of grey stone and it gave off an air of chill. He sat on a hard sofa, and waited.

It wasn't long before Hermione arrived and upon her opening the door, the whole room changed. His chair became a sofa and the room warmed up a trifle. The walls were no longer stone but wooden, like a log cabin. Blaise looked up with a glare on his face.

Hermione looked at him apologetically and sat beside him. "Blaise, we need to talk."

"There's nothing to talk about. You made it all painfully clear when we were down by the lake." He stated, refusing to meet her eyes.

"That was a mistake. I realize that now." She said. He could hear the sadness in her voice and it took everything he had within him not to reach out and pull her toward him. He remained stiffly disciplined, however.

"Well, you can't change the past." He said simply, angrily.

"You said that if I told you no, it wouldn't affect our friendship." She said desperately.

"I lied."

"Blaise, you can't do this to me. You just can't."

He knew there were tears in her eyes. He couldn't show that he cared though. Then she'd be able to hurt him again. "That sounds awfully familiar. But as I recall, you walked away."

"I didn't mean it. I was confused. I didn't think that we would work."

"And what do you think now?" there was an angry tone to his voice, a bitter tone. She didn't like it.

"I don't know." She stated strongly.

"Then why am I here?" he asked. She tried to take his hand but he pulled it away.

"Because I love you." She said desperately.

Finally he looked at her. Her face was red, streaked with tears but she looked beautiful. His face showed shock. He hadn't expected this. He had expected her to try and repair their friendship, yes, but he hadn't expected this. "Say it again." He demanded, the same angry tone as before. He needed to hear it again in order to believe it. He needed her to admit that she needed him.

"I love you Blaise Zabini. I made a mistake before, but now I see that. I need you. You aren't a distraction…" Before she could say another word, his lips were pressed firmly to hers. His hands were pulling her closer to him and wrapping themselves around her body. She was straddled across his lap now, and his hands rested gently on her bottom. He was still kissing her. Before she could think to do anything, He had pulled her down on top of him.

Finally, he pulled away to catch some air, he looked up at her and smiled. The first smile she'd seen from him since that fated day by the lake. It almost broke her heart. Instead, she leaned down and kissed him, running her fingers through his soft curly hair. For once he wasn't wearing that awful hat of his.

This time, it was Hermione that pulled awayand sat up a bit. She looked down at a slightly breathless bruised lipped Blaise. He smiled up at her with his perfect straight teeth. His eyes had darkened significantly. He smiled back at her as his fingers teased the hem of her shirt. She leaned toward him and pressed her forehead against his. "You're not going to be a distraction are you?" she asks, just to make sure.

"I wouldn't dream of it, kitten." He said, and kissed her nose.

"Kitten?" she giggled.

He nodded and reached to kiss her again. This time is was a softer kiss, a gentle caress. Her lips moved over his like waves and she was delighted when he groaned ad pulled her closer, forcing his tongue into her mouth passionately. He pulled her down on top of him and continued their thorough snogging. His hands slowly made their way up her shirt at the back, tracing ticklish patterns along the way. He was just about to help her out of her shirt when the door burst open.  
Blaise and Hermione sprung apart and stared at the intruders. Blaise's jaw dropped when he realized that the interrupters were none other than Draco and Harry, snogging furiously and removing each other's clothing as they came further into the room. Hermione exchanged a look with Blaise and then giggled.

The two boys broke apart and stared at The other couple in the room. "Uh…." Said Harry.

"We'll talk later." Hermione interrupted. She turned to Blaise. "I think it's time you walk me back to Gryffindor tower. That way we can leave these two love birds alone." With that she stood and took ahold of Blaise's hand and helped him up. She didn't let go as they walked out the door. It took them quite a while to make it all the way to the tower with the many snog stops they made but they finally did get there. The two stopped in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady and Hermione turned to look at Blaise. "Goodnight love." She said and kissed him gently.

"Sleep well kitten." Blaise replied. With one last kiss, Hermione turned toward the Fat Lady and whispered the password. A smile planted itself firmly on her face as she made her way into the common room.

The end


End file.
